Friday, June 20, 2008

ALBUM REVIEWS: Katy Perry, Adele, & Tyga


KATY PERRY's One of the Boys
While Perez Hilton has been having a ball with this 23-year-old, former Christian pop singer's singles "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl," one must wonder if she can live up to the hype. After listening to the album twice, I realized that she has the spirit of Gwen Stefani--ballads ("Don't Speak") and guy-bashing songs ("I'm Just a Girl")--and playful lyrics like Kate Nash, but she has a sound of her own, unlike the many Amy Winehouse clones--Adele and Duffy--coming out of the musical woodworks these days, which are, however talented, still quite repetitive. Of her tracks, these became my fast favorites. So go ahead and...
Download:
+ "One of the Boys": As the title track, it does a great job of encompassing how tomboys feel when they fall for their guy bff.
+ "Mannequin": It's my new favorite. The fact that she wrote it all by herself is even better. "I wish you could feel that my love is real/But you're not a man!" Enough said.
+ "Hot n Cold": It's just a fun song for the road.



ADELE's 19
This 20-year-old, British, soul singer is getting a lot of comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but she kind of sounds like a mix between Winehouse and Joss Stone. For her debut album, which has already reached #1 in the UK, she's released three singles so far. While the first single, "Hometown Glory," a beautiful ballad, has emphasized the agony in episodes of "One Tree Hill" and "Grey's Anatomy," I also really enjoyed the third single, "Cold Shoulder." Released in April, it's a biting, yet upbeat, description of crossing paths with your ex. For some more lovely and well-produced imagery, I'd recommend these to...
Download:
+ "Daydreamer": A description of her perfect guy.
+ "Melt My Heart to Stone": It's one of those songs that makes you belt it out in the chorus.
+ "Right as Rain": Just a lovely ending.



TYGA's No Introduction
This new rapper's album dropped last week, but his official debut was when he added "Coconut Juice" to our summer playlist in March. However, since he's an 18-year-old newbie and we don't want to give him special treatment for being related to Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy, I thought I'd give his album a very close listen. He sort of lost cool points for remixing Harry Nilsson's "Coconut" and a few more after putting his spin on Will Smith "Summertime." One positive aspect that I appreciate is that he collaborates with unexpected artists that most rappers do later on in their career to gain more fans and make a buck--not to expand their personal artistic interests. He has Patrick Stump ("Don't Regret It Now") and a Fueled by Ramen band, The Cab ("Press 7"), featured on this album. Unfortunately, the final product of those collaborations aren't that great. But I'd recommend these to...
Download:
+ "AIM": Although the chorus kind of sounds like something Nelly would record, the theme reminds me of Travis' "New Friend Request." It's not as funny, but it speaks the truth about teen internet relationships, which, in itself, is pretty entertaining.
+ "First Timers": This is an R&B song about having your first love at a young age, sacrificing certain freedoms and getting into arguments. Besides the message, I like how he gives a shout out to Lil Mama and her lip gloss song.
+ "2 am": While I don't really like the part of the chorus when he says, "Sometimes/I wish/I was in a coma," I do like that it's autobiographical and a realistic depiction of how teenagers feel about their tumultuous family life.


No comments:

Post a Comment